SECURITY COUNCIL WELCOMES EUROPEAN UNION OFFER TO PROVIDE POLICE MISSION IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA FROM 1 JANUARY 2003

SECURITY COUNCIL
WELCOMES EUROPEAN UNION OFFER TO PROVIDE POLICE MISSION

IN BOSNIA AND
HERZEGOVINA FROM 1 JANUARY 2003

Resolution 1396 (2002) Adopted Unanimously

As
it reviewed the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina this morning, the Security
Council welcomed the acceptance by the Steering Board of the Peace
Implementation Council on 28 February of the offer of the European Union to
provide a European Union Police Mission, from 1 January 2003, to follow the end
of the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina
(UNMIBH).

Unanimously
adopting resolution 1396 (2002), the Council also welcomed the European Union's
intention to invite non-Union member States to participate in the Police
Mission. Further, it encouraged
coordination between UNMIBH, the Union and the High Representative for the
Implementation of the Peace Agreement, to ensure a seamless transition of responsibilities
from the International Police Task Force (IPTF) to the European Union Police
Mission.

In
addition, the Council welcomed and agreed to the designation by the Steering
Board of Lord Paddy Ashdown as High Representative succeeding Wolfgang
Petritsch, as well as expressed their appreciation to Mr. Petritsch for his
achievements.

In
doing so, Council members reaffirmed the important role of the High
Representative in implementing the Peace Agreement and giving guidance to and
coordinating the activities of the civilian organizations and agencies involved
in assisting the parties to implement the Peace Agreement.

The
Council also welcomed the Steering Board conclusions concerning the
streamlining of the international civilian implementation effort in Bosnia and
Herzegovina.

In
a debate held prior to the adoption of the resolution, Secretary-General Kofi
Annan said UNMIBH was well on track to complete its core mandate by the end of
2002. It had improved and integrated
the police, while serving as a voice of co-existence, tolerance and cooperation
at all levels of society. Through all
those efforts, UNMIBH’s civilian and police officers had done much to give the
people of Bosnia and Herzegovina faith in a better, peaceful and united future.

(page
1a follows)

__________

* 4482nd
and 4483rd Meetings were closed.

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4484th
Meeting (AM) 5 March 2002

However,
he stressed that there were still challenges to be faced by the Bosnians
themselves and by the international community committed to helping them. Among those, in the area of police, were low
salaries and poor housing conditions; lack of funds; and continued political
interference in the work of law enforcement agencies. There would, undoubtedly, continue to be a need for international
monitoring and assistance in order to sustain the progress that had been made.

In
his final address to the Council as High Representative for the Implementation
of the Peace Agreement, Wolfgang Petritsch stated that the European Union
Police Mission represented a unique opportunity for the Union to develop its
political engagement with Bosnia and Herzegovina and supported a structural
reform crucial to the country’s Europeanization process.

Bosnia
and Herzegovina, he stressed, had reached a crucial juncture in its path
towards permanent recovery. Time was of
the essence. The elections to be held
on 5 October would be the first post-war polls organized by the national
authorities and would introduce a four-year election cycle, which should
further enhance the stability of the political system.

As
the rule of law had begun to take hold, he continued, the number of returning
refugees had increased dramatically.
Last year, more than 92,000 minority returns were recorded -- a 36 per cent
increase over the corresponding figure for 2000. If that rate was maintained, mass return would be completed
within two years.

Outlining
remaining challenges, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and
Coordinator of United Nations Operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jacques
Paul Klein, said some major projects depended on additional funding. The UNMIBH was short of $3.5 million for
capital and equipment costs to be able to complete basic police equipment and
facilities. In addition, the political
support of the High representative was vital for the completion of police
restructuring.

There
was a grave imbalance in the rule of law whereby police standards had improved,
but the judicial system remained dysfunctional, he added. Arresting criminals was useless if they were
freed by timorous or corrupt judicial officials a few hours later, and then
intimidated witnesses or threatened the families of police officers. Band-aid measures were not enough. Immediate radical reform of the judiciary
and prosecutors was key to everything the international community was trying to
achieve in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Also
addressing the Council, Javier Solana, Secretary-General of the European Union
Council and High Representative for Foreign Policy and Common Security, stated
that the new European Union Police Mission would seek to establish sustainable
policing arrangements under national ownership in accordance with best European
and international practice, thereby raising current Bosnian police
standards. The Mission, entrusted with
the necessary authority to monitor, mentor and inspect, should achieve its goal
by the end of 2005. It emphasized the
openness of the European Security and Defence Policy and the willingness and
ability of the Union to work closely with the United Nations.

(page
1b follows)

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4484th
Meeting (AM) 5 March 2002

The
representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina said the substantial progress achieved
in the peace implementation process in his country in the last year was only
the first step in building a sustainable country. In light of the long-term orientation of UNMIBH towards the
self-sustainability of local institutions, he emphasized the need for further
assistance from the international community, since the progress so far was
still fragile.

Noting that UNMIBH's mandate would terminate at the
end of this year, he recommended that the Organization prepare a comprehensive
evaluation of its involvement in the Dayton Peace Agreement. That evaluation could be used as a base for
the further evolution of the peace process.
It could also serve as a guide in the update and upgrade of the
Dayton-based constitutional structure, in accordance with European Union human
rights standards.

Statements
were also made by the representatives of Spain (on behalf of the European
Union), United Kingdom, Bulgaria, United States, Syria, France, Guinea, Russian
Federation, Singapore, Ireland, Mauritius, Mexico, Cameroon, Colombia, China,
Norway, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Croatia and Ukraine.

The
meeting, which began at 10:18 a.m., adjourned at 1:43 p.m.

Resolution

The
full text of resolution 1396 (2002) reads as follows:

"The
Security Council,

"Recalling
all its previous relevant resolutions, including resolutions 1031 (1995) of 15
December 1995, 1088 (1996) of 12 December 1996, 1112 (1997) of

12 June 1997, 1256 (1999) of 3 August 1999,
and 1357 (2001) of 21 June 2001,

"Recalling
also the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina
and the Annexes thereto (collectively the Peace Agreement, S/1995/999, annex),
and the conclusions of the Peace Implementation Conferences held in Bonn on 9
and 10 December 1997 (S/1997/979, annex), Madrid on 16 and 17 December 1998
(S/1999/139, appendix), and Brussels on 23 and 24 May 2000 (S/2000/586, annex),

"Welcoming
the conclusions of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC)
on 28 February 2002, as well as the conclusions of the General Affairs Council
of the European Union of 18 February 2002 (S/2002/212),

"Expressing
its appreciation to the Secretary-General, his Special Representative and the
personnel of the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH),
which includes the International Police Task Force (IPTF), for their
contributions to the implementation of the Peace Agreement and preparations for
the efficient transition to the follow-on to UNMIBH,

“1. Welcomes and agrees to the
designation by the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) on
28 February 2002 of Lord Ashdown as High Representative in succession to Mr.
Wolfgang Petritsch;

(page
1c follows)

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4484th
Meeting (AM) 5 March 2002

“2. Expresses its appreciation to Mr.
Wolfgang Petritsch for his achievements as the High Representative;

“3. Welcomes the acceptance by the
Steering Board of the PIC on

28 February 2002 of the offer made by the
European Union (EU) to provide an EU Police Mission (EUPM), from 1 January
2003, to follow the end of UNMIBH’s mandate, as part of a coordinated rule of
law programme, and the EU’s intention to also invite non-EU member States to
participate in the EUPM;

“4. Encourages coordination between
UNMIBH, the EU and the High Representative in order to ensure a seamless
transition of responsibilities from IPTF to the EUPM;

“5. Welcomes also the PIC Steering
Board conclusions on 28 February 2002 concerning the streamlining of the
international civilian implementation effort in Bosnia and Herzegovina;

“6. Reaffirms the importance it
attaches to the role of the High Representative in pursuing the implementation
of the Peace Agreement and giving guidance to and coordinating
the activities of the civilian organizations and agencies involved in assisting
the parties to implement the Peace Agreement;

“7. Reaffirms also the final authority
of the High Representative in theatre regarding the interpretation of Annex 10
on civilian implementation of the Peace Agreement;

“8. Decides to remain seized of the
matter.”

(page 2 follows)

Background

The
Security Council met this morning to review the situation in Bosnia and
Herzegovina. It had before it a letter
dated 26 February from the Secretary-General to the Council President,
transmitting the report of the High Representative for the Implementation of
the Peace Agreement, Wolfgang Petritsch (document S/2002/209). The report covers the activities of the
Office of the High Representative and developments in the country during the
period from 26 August 2001 to 19 February 2002.

According
to the report, the events of 11 September 2001 left their imprint on the
domestic affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities demonstrated their commitment to
global action by working closely with the international community to establish
the Coordination Team in the Fight against Terrorism, review citizenship cases,
develop a badly needed package of anti-terrorism legislation, and pass the five
laws comprising the Citizens Identification Protection System..

At
its 6 December 2001 meeting, the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board
endorsed the High Representative's draft action plan on streamlining the work
of the international civilian organizations in the country. The plan includes policy coordination task
forces on rule of law, institution building, economic policy, and return and
reconstruction. [He was to have
presented a refined plan, including an assessment of multi-year funding
requirements to the Steering Board at their meeting on 28 February.] The Board will also decide on the police
follow-up mission replacing the United Nations International Police Task Force
(IPTF), whose mandate is expected to terminate on 31 December.

The
year 2001, he states, produced 92,061 "minority" returns, an increase
of 36 per cent over 2000. On 24
January, the High Representative issued a decision ensuring transparency in the
allocation of funds for refugee return in the entity budgets. Among other things, the decision requires
entity ministers to notify periodically the State Minister for Human Rights and
Refugees on their expenditure on refugee return.

He
also states that, although there must be no legal pre-conditions for cooperation
with The Hague Tribunal, it was a positive sign that the National Assembly of
Republika Srpska passed in September a law on the matter. However, six months afterwards, the
Republika Srpska authorities have not apprehended a single person indicted for war
crimes. Moreover, the fact that the
main Republika Srpska indictees, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, are still
at large, is a worrying fact that seriously hampers the normalization of life
in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In
an effort to speed up preparations for the elections scheduled for

5 October, the High Representative
appointed both the three international and four national members of the Bosnia
and Herzegovina Election Commission.

Fighting in Bosnia
and Herzegovina ended on 11 October 1995. From then until 20 December 1995, forces of the United Nations
Protection Force (UNPROFOR) monitored a ceasefire put in place to allow for
peace negotiations being launched in Dayton, Ohio. On 21 November 1995, in Dayton, the General Framework Agreement for
Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina was initialled. On 8 and 9 December 1995, the Peace Implementation Conference met
in London, appointing the High Representative for the Implementation of the
Peace Agreement on Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On

14 December 1995, the Republic of Bosnia
and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,
as well as the other parties, signed the Peace Agreement in Paris.

The Agreement with
its 11 annexes covered a broad range of issues including: military aspects of
the peace settlement; regional stabilization; delineation of an Inter-entity
Boundary Line between the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the
Republika Srpska; holding of democratic elections; human rights; assistance to
refugees; civilian implementation of the Peace Agreement; and an International
Police Task Force. The parties agreed
to a ceasefire, which had begun in October 1995, withdrawal of UNPROFOR and
deployment of a NATO-led multinational Implementation Force, to be known as
IFOR. All final decisions concerning
military aspects of the implementation were to be made by the IFOR
Commander. Full cooperation was pledged
with "all entities involved in the implementation plan", including
the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia located at The
Hague.

On 15 December
1995, the Council, by its resolution 1031 (1995), endorsed the establishment of
a High Representative to "mobilize and, as appropriate, give guidance to,
and coordinate the activities of the civilian organizations and agencies”
involved with the civilian aspects of the Peace Agreement. In December 1996, the Council authorized
Member States to set up a multinational stabilization Force (SFOR) to succeed
IFOR. The SFOR remains deployed in
Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On 21 December
1995, the Council, by its resolution 1035 (1995), decided to establish the
United Nations International Police Task Force (IPTF) and a United Nations
civilian office, brought together as the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and
Herzegovina (UNMIBH). The Mission
exercises a wide range of functions related to the law enforcement activities
in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It also
coordinates other United Nations activities in the country relating to
humanitarian relief and refugees, demining, human rights, elections and
rehabilitation of infrastructure and economic reconstruction.

The
High Representative, appointed by the 1995 London Peace Implementation
Conference, works closely with UNMIBH and is the final authority on interpretation
of civilian aspects of the Peace Agreement, which was initialled in Dayton,
Ohio, in November 1995 and signed in Paris the following month. The Agreement resulted in the division of
Bosnia and Herzegovina into two Entities, the Republika Srpska and the
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The High Representative’s Office has focused on the effective
functioning of Bosnia and Herzegovina State (or common) institutions, economic
reform, judicial and legal reform and, in general, the country’s integration
into Europe.

Statements

KOFI ANNAN, Secretary-General of the
United Nations, said UNMIBH was well on track to complete its core mandate by
the end of 2002. It had improved and
integrated the police, while serving as a voice of co-existence, tolerance and
cooperation at all levels of society.
Through all those efforts, UNMIBH’s civilian and police officers had
done much to give the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina faith in a better,
peaceful and united future.

Specifically, UNMIBH had transformed the
police force from a 4,000-strong wartime militia to a 16,000-strong
professional police force, he said. In
addition, each police officer had been trained in human rights; selected groups
had been trained in drug control, organized crime and crowd control; two
multi-ethnic police academies had been established in Sarajevo and Banja Luka;
and the State Border Service presently covered 75 per cent of the country’s
borders, and had reduced illegal immigration through Bosnia and Herzegovina by
two thirds.

However, he stressed that there were still
challenges to be faced by the Bosnians themselves and by the international
community committed to helping them.
Among those, in the area of police, were low salaries and poor housing
conditions; lack of funds; and continued political interference in the work of
law enforcement agencies. There would
undoubtedly continue to be a need for international monitoring and assistance
in order to sustain the progress that had been made.

He welcomed a recent decision by the
European Union to establish a post-UNMIBH follow-on police mission to commence
on 1 January 2003. The next phase of
capacity-building in law enforcement -- including improving judicial and penal
systems – would, therefore, be carried out in the European context. The United Nations stood ready to cooperate
closely with the European Union, the Office of the High Representative and
others concerned to ensure timely planning and a smooth transition.

Ultimately, it was the people of Bosnia
and Herzegovina who would take control of their own destiny and build a
peaceful, prosperous future as a successful multi-ethnic State, he said. Hopefully, they would find support and
inspiration in the many countries around the world that had made their
diversity their greatest asset, with opportunities for all in a climate of
tolerance and mutual respect.

WOLFGANG
PETRITSCH, High Representative for the Implementation of the Bosnia and
Herzegovina Peace Agreement, said that consolidating the rule of law had
underpinned the Implementation Council strategy in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
since institution-building, refugee return and economic development could only
be promoted in a secure environment of law and order. In that respect, the work of the IPTF, mandated by the Dayton/Paris
Peace Accords to provide the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina with an
efficient and impartial police service, had been key to the peace
implementation efforts.

On
18 February, the European Union’s General Affairs Council announced that the
European Union was ready to establish a police mission, which would take over
from the IPTF from 1 January 2003, he said.
The police mission, supported by the Union’s institution-building
programmes, would contribute to peace implementation and to the Union’s overall
policy in the region. It represented a
unique opportunity for the European Union to develop its political engagement
with Bosnia and Herzegovina and supported a structural reform crucial to the
country’s Europeanization process. The
Union’s initiative was welcomed and accepted by the Steering Board of the Peace
Implementation Council on 28 February.

He
said that policing in Bosnia and Herzegovina would not be fully effective as
long as there was a belief that certain individuals were beyond the reach of
the law. In that respect, the work of
the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, and the
cooperation given to the Tribunal by the Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities at
the State level and in both entities, was crucial to the country’s overall
recovery.

While
international efforts in the broad sphere of the rule of law had yielded
results, progress in some areas had fallen short of expectations because there
had not yet been a thorough reform of the judiciary. The Judicial System Assessment Programme, set up by UNMIBH two
years earlier, had been terminated in November 2000. As a result, his Office was tasked to set up the Independent
Judicial Commission. On 14 March 2001,
he issued the decision formalizing the establishment of the Commission and
determining its mandate. However, the
Commission reported an alarming picture -– judges and prosecutors, many of whom
gained office during or immediately after the war on ethnic or political rather
than professional grounds, were often unfit to carry out their duties. There was a lack of adequate financing, and
courts were often subject to undue external influence.

He
had presented a reinvigorated programme of judicial reform measures for
2002/2003 to the Political Directors of the Steering Board. That combined a restructuring of the Bosnia
and Herzegovina court system and a depoliticized appointment procedure, with
the introduction of a High Judicial Council.
It also encompassed the reform of key laws, including civil and criminal
procedure codes.

Bosnia
and Herzegovina had reached a crucial juncture in its path towards permanent
recovery, he said. The main political
parties were discussing how to implement the Constitutional Court’s decision on
the constituency of peoples throughout the country. That was the test case of whether Bosnia and Herzegovina would
develop into a State committed to human rights and the rule of law and to the
protection of individuals, as well as the protection of the nation’s three
Constituent Peoples and the group of the so-called Others.

Time
was of the essence, he stressed. The
current constitutional discussions must produce a successful outcome within
days, so the necessary amendments could be made to the Entity constitutions and
the Bosnia and Herzegovina Election Law within the timeframe required to hold
general elections on schedule in October.
Those elections would be the first post-war polls organized by the
domestic authorities and would introduce a four-year election cycle, which
should further enhance the stability of the political system.

As
the rule of law had begun to take hold, the number of returning refugees,
throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, had increased dramatically, he said. Last year, more than 92,000 so-called
minority returns were recorded, a 36 per cent increase over the corresponding
figure for 2000. If that rate was
maintained, mass return would be completed within two years.

As
the circumstances of peace implementation had considerably changed, the
Implementation Council had adapted its engagement so as to meet new challenges
in the most effective way. In the
spring of 2001, he was asked to oversee the streamlining of international civil
implementation structures in the country.
Among the key elements of the final streamlining plan, the Steering
Board would remain the overall board of directors. At the centre, there would be four task forces covering the core
strategic areas of economic reform, refugee return, institution building and
the rule of law. The streamlined model,
being put into effect immediately, would deliver a leaner, less bureaucratic
Implementation Council presence with reduced overall costs.

In
conclusion, he informed the Council of his intention to leave his post at the
end of May. He was confident that his
successor, Paddy Ashdown, with the Council’s continued support, would further
build on the solid foundation that had been put in place.

JACQUES
PAUL KLEIN, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Coordinator of
the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH), said progress
since the Secretary-General’s last report had been steady. January had seen the completion of the
two-year registration of 16,919 law enforcement officers. A process of vetting all those suspected of
war and other crimes, as well as violation of property laws, had also
begun. All provisionally authorized
police officers had undertaken compulsory training courses in human rights, and
had received or were completing advanced professional training.

He
said that in the core area of police restructuring, a comprehensive systems
analysis of 21 police administrations had begun in January. The Brcko District Police Force established
last year served as the model for a democratic, multi-ethnic local police
institutions. The goal was to accredit
law enforcement agencies meeting that model.
The expected completion of that project in September would coincide with
the final certification of individual police officers.

Minority
police representation had steadily increased, he said. Through the two established police
academies, more than 1,050 minority officers, including

365 women, had been recruited. Some 192 minority officers had returned to
their pre-war locations through UNMIBH’s voluntary redeployment programme, and
85 former officers had been re-employed following refresher courses. At least 300 minority cadets were expected
this year, and more could be processed once the European Union-financed
rebuilding of the academies was finished.

Regarding
institution building and inter-agency police force cooperation, he said the
State Border Service had made extraordinary progress, and by the end of April
some 88 per cent of the border and all airports were under its control. The effective operation of the Service,
together with the introduction of a partial visa regime and an airport landing
card, had resulted in a 66 per cent decrease in illegal migration through
Sarajevo airport in 2001 (down from 24,000 to 8,000). This year had witnessed even further reductions and an estimated
20 per cent increase in customs revenues.

The
UNMIBH, working with the Bosnia and Herzegovina Government, expected the new
State Information and Protection Agency to be established in the coming months,
he said. It would be responsible for
collecting, analyzing and distributing data to other law enforcement agencies
to improve the fight against international and inter-entity crime. The UNMIBH had also established mechanisms
for regional police operation through the regular ministerial level meeting on
police and the trilateral Regional Law Enforcement Agreement.

He
said UNMIBH continued to aggressively combat human trafficking. In the past six months, special teams of
international and local police had monitored

270 raids and interviewed 800 women and
girls involved in prostitution. Since
March 1999, some 410 trafficking victims had been assisted and
repatriated. The UNMIBH was now focusing
on prosecuting trafficking and brothel owners, resulting in more than 50
criminal charges. Sentences had ranged
from four to 36 months imprisonment and substantial fines.

The
UNMIBH had investigated every single claim of alleged involvement by IPTF
members in trafficking, he emphasized.
Despite media sensationalism, not one allegation had been substantiated,
and no additional information had been forthcoming. The UNMIBH pursued a rigorous zero-tolerance policy and it was
disappointing that, despite its intensive efforts and the IPTF’s outstanding
work, unfounded rumours continued to surface.

Outlining
remaining challenges, he said some major projects depended on additional
funding. The UNMIBH was short of $3.5
million for capital and equipment costs to be able to complete basic police
equipment and facilities. In addition,
the political support of the High representative was vital for the completion
of police restructuring. Most cantons
and the Republika Srpska entity were on track, but were facing determined
obstruction in the Federation and in Canton Sarajevo from a political party
that claimed that it wanted to be a partner of the international community
while it sought to politicize and suborn the police forces.

He
expressed deep concern about the inability or unwillingness of the local
judiciary to do its work. There was a
grave imbalance in the rule of law whereby police standards had improved, but
the judicial system remained dysfunctional.
Arresting criminals was useless if they were freed by timorous or
corrupt judicial officials a few hours later, and then intimidated witnesses or
threatened the families of police officers.
Band-aid measures were not enough.
Immediate radical reform of the judiciary and prosecutors was key to
everything the international community was trying to achieve in Bosnia and
Herzegovina.

UNMIBH’s
downsizing and mission liquidation planning was well advanced, he said. The Mission intended to retain about 1,600
IPTF monitors until immediately after the October elections and then to rapidly
downsize to around 600 IPTF in preparation for the transition to the European
Union mission. However, even with a
seamless transfer, the presence of SFOR would remain essential until there was
full political stabilization and substantial progress in reconciliation. Of great importance to both those goals was
the arrest of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic.

INOCENCIO
ARIAS (Spain), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the
importance the European Union ascribed to the issue being discussed today was
underscored by the presence of the Secretary-General of the Council of the
European Union and the High Representative for Foreign Policy and Common
Security, Javier Solana. He requested
that Mr. Solana be granted an opportunity to speak.

JAVIER
SOLANA, Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union and High
Representative for Foreign Policy and Common Security, said the Union welcomed
the designation last week of Lord Ashdown as successor to Wolfgang
Petritsch. He expected the authorities,
at all levels, to cooperate fully with the new High Representative.

In
meeting its responsibilities, the Union was playing an increasingly important
role, in terms of financial assistance and in providing a longer-term political
perspective and a concrete contribution to peace and stability. The European Union would continue to provide
an important amount of financial assistance.
In total, the Union had provided more than 3 billion euros in financial
assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1991. This year alone, the Union was likely to contribute a further 200
million euros.

On
the new European Union Police Mission, he said it would build on the remarkable
achievements of the IPTF. It would
follow, not replace, the IPTF and draw extensively on IPTF’s experience, and on
Jacques Klein’s help and advice, reflecting what had been done and what needed
to be done in the future. It would also
draw from the very good and important cooperation established on the ground
with SFOR. The Police Mission would
seek to establish sustainable policing arrangements under Bosnia and
Herzegovina ownership in accordance with best European and international
practice, thereby raising current Bosnian police standards. The Mission, entrusted with the necessary
authority to monitor, mentor and inspect, should achieve its goal by the end of
2005. Its strength would be around 470
police officers and 70 civilian experts.

The
European Union’s aim, he said, was a broad approach to the whole range of rule
of law needs, including police activities.
The Mission, supported by the European Community’s institution-building
programmes, would thus contribute to overall peace implementation in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, as well as to the achievements of the Union’s overall policy in
the region, notably the stabilization and association process.

The
Mission, he said, emphasized two things:
first, the openness of the European Security and Defence Policy; and
second, the willingness and ability of the Union to work closely with the
United Nations. The Union had decided
to invite 20 countries to make offers of contributions to the Mission. Both the European Union and the United
Nations were aware of the need to establish practical arrangements to ensure a
smooth and seamless transition between the IPTF and the Police Mission.

Sir
JEREMY GREENSTOCK (United Kingdom), subscribing to the European Union
approach set out by Mr. Solana, said 2002 was a crucial year with elections
coming up in October. He requested a
more detailed description of security conditions in the run-up to those
elections and stressed the need to avoid downsizing the IPTF before full
stabilization had been achieved.

Stressing the need for efforts to improve
the rule of law in the run-up to the October elections, he said such measures
should encompass judicial and penal, as well as police, reforms. Economic reform also remained a serious
concern. Trade between the entities was
disappointing, affecting unemployment, which was still too high, as well as
other economic aspects.

Emphasizing
that no individual was beyond the reach of the law, he welcomed recent efforts
to capture Radovan Karadzic. The United
Kingdom disagreed with misguided criticism of those efforts emanating from the
Republika Srpska. The arrest and
transfer to The Hague of Karadzic and Ratko Mladic would signal a new page in
the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he said.

STEFAN
TAFROV (Bulgaria) fully endorsed the conclusions offered by

Mr. Solana. He paid tribute to High Representative Petritsch for following through
on the peace implementation plan and expressed satisfaction with the decision
to appoint Lord Ashdown as his successor.
His country had always supported the Dayton/Paris Accords and the
efforts of the international community to bring about a united and multi-ethnic
Bosnia and Herzegovina. He felt the
local authorities should progressively take over the necessary functions so
that the nation could become autonomous and take its place in the international
community. It was important for the
Bosnian authorities to be fully involved in the lead-up to the October
elections.

He appealed to the
authorities to implement the four decisions handed down in May by the Bosnia
and Herzegovina Constitutional Court to facilitate the integration of the
nation into the European Community. He
appreciated the European Union’s strategy to ensure a seamless transfer of
duties from the IPTF to the European Union Police Mission. The involvement of non-European Union
members in the Mission should be clarified.
The High Representative’s streamlining plan deserved the fullest backing
of the Council. He also welcomed the
high rate of refugee return, as well as progress in normalizing relations of
Bosnia and Herzegovina with neighbouring countries. He stressed that more active cooperation with the International
Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia was needed. He hailed the High Representative for
promoting dialogue among the three major religious groups.

JAMES CUNNINGHAM (United States)
said the draft plan on streamlining the work of the international civilian
organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina was timely and necessary for
implementing the next phase of the Dayton peace accords. However, there was still too little progress
on the part of the Government in making the hard decisions.

He emphasized that economic growth in
Bosnia and Herzegovina would not be sustainable until investors were confident
that the Government could, on its own, address police, judicial, economic and
other problems. While the upcoming
elections were not premature, holding them would require a considerable effort
on the part of the leaders and people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He expressed his country’s support for
efforts to apprehend people indicted for war crimes by the International
Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
The United States wished to see those indicted, including Karadzic and
Mladic, brought to The Hague and urged the Republika Srpska to fulfil its
obligations under the Dayton Accords by turning them over to the Tribunal.

MIKHAIL
WEHBE (Syria) welcomed the decision of the European Union to appoint
Lord Ashdown as successor to Mr. Petritsch and wished him success. He expressed satisfaction with the holding
of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council, which had adopted
the draft plan on streamlining the work of the civil administration bodies in
Bosnia and Herzegovina. He paid tribute
to the efforts of the High Representative with regard to facilitating refugee
return. The year 2001 had witnessed
more than 92,000 minority returns, which would have a clear effect on the
social and economic stability of the country.

He looked forward
to the October elections and shared the call of the High Representative to
accelerate preparations for those elections.
Its success would have major effect on the political life of Bosnia and
Herzegovina. He stressed the urgent
need for reform and strengthening of the defence forces and the army for Bosnia
and Herzegovina to discharge its security and defence duties after the transfer
of power to it after this year. A cause
of concern was the pace of economic recovery, which had been characterized by
extreme slowness, which could cast a shadow on overall development of the country. He agreed that the leaders of Bosnia and
Herzegovina were responsible for developing their country and government in a
manner consistent with the country’s reality.

In addition, he
welcomed the normalization of relations with neighbouring countries,
particularly the exchange of ambassadors with the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia. It was also necessary to
implement the 1999 Treaty on borders between the two countries.

JEAN-DAVID
LEVITTE (France) said the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina still
required the international community’s attention and stressed that the present
momentum must be maintained. Ensuring
development was an essential goal and to achieve it, investors must have
confidence in the security of the economic environment. In that context, the promotion of the rule
of law, the elimination of corruption and impunity, as well as the
reinforcement of the independence and credibility of the judiciary, must be at
the heart of public action.

He said the
restructuring agreed upon by the Peace Implementation Council must begin immediately. It would make the international civilian
presence more compact and coherent, and, therefore, more effective. The European Union would be establishing its
role in strengthening the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary,
which would help assure the assimilation of European norms and requirements.

Mr.
BOUBACAR DIALLO (Guinea) said that following consideration of the
Secretary-General’s report on Bosnia and Herzegovina on 5 December; the Council
had assessed the slow but steady progress on the ground and had expressed its
resolve to continue supporting UNMIBH.
Now was the right time to reflect on the follow-up actions to the United
Nations presence in that country. It
was undeniable that progress had been made by the United Nations mission after
six years of commitment on the ground.
Now was the time to consider the exit strategy. It would be good not only to work on an exit
strategy, but also to develop a genuine strategy to ensure that the country
could fully join the international community and European structures. He welcomed the conclusions of the General
Affairs Council, as well as those of the Steering Board of the Peace
Implementation Council. He also
welcomed the decision of the European Union to provide a police mission to take
over from the IPTF.

He
paid tribute to the Electoral Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the work
done in preparing for the elections in October. The commitment of the political leaders, participation of the
people and support of the international community were all essential in that
regard. He stressed the need to have a
comprehensive strategy for the full restoration of Bosnia and Herzegovina and
to ensure a seamless transition from the IPTF to the European Union Police
Mission.

SERGEY
LAVROV (Russian Federation) said that all activities, including the
reorganization of all forces, should be in the interests of strengthening the
country as a single, stable State. The
representatives of both entities must demonstrate greater willingness to
cooperate rather than focusing on narrow ethnic interests. Constitutional reform was a priority, and a
decision in that area must be taken by the entities themselves, as a solution
imposed from above would be counter-productive.

Another important consideration
was the regional dimension, he said.
New opportunities were opening up with the recent signing of a bilateral
free trade agreement and exchange of ambassadors between Bosnia and Herzegovina
and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as well as the creation of a border
commission linking Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
and Croatia. The return of refugees and
internally displaced persons would also help on the regional front.

Expressing
concern about the possible presence in Bosnia and Federation of Al Qaeda-type
terrorist forces, he said the activities of the SFOR must nevertheless be
carried out in strict accordance with the mandate issued by the Security
Council. Efforts to establish a single
army for Bosnia and Herzegovina could shatter the fragile stability built
between the Serbs, on the one hand, and the Croats and Bosniacs, on the
other. The establishment of armed
forces was the responsibility of the entities.

YAP
ONG HENG (Singapore) said that, although Bosnia and Herzegovina was
moving ever closer towards eventual integration into the wider European
Community, he was concerned about slower progress in several crucial areas,
particularly the Republika Srpska's failure to advance the process of
reconciliation. Although the Republika
Srpska had passed a law on cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal
for the Former Yugoslavia, it had refused to assist in the arrest of Radovan
Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, who remained at large. The situation in the Republic was also typical of generally slow
economic progress throughout the region.
So while there were overall signs of hope, the territory was far from
being fully stabilized, as evidenced by the fact that it was without one single
army. He stressed that efforts to
address the issues that hampered fundamental progress in those and other areas
should be sufficiently addressed.

To
that end, he was encouraged by efforts to streamline the international civilian
implementation initiatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He noted that the Task Force Model endorsed late last month by
the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council would enhance the
efficiency and effectiveness of the region’s international presence, as well as
strengthen the role of the High Representative. The four task forces -- on rule of law, institution building,
economic policy, and return and reconciliation -- recommended by a cabinet of
leading agencies chaired by the High Representative, would prioritize action to
address slow progress.

He
went on to encourage all parties to continue to envision Bosnia and Herzegovina
joining the European Union and to use that notion as motivation to pursue an
all-inclusive and multi-ethnic society.
Singapore welcomed the Steering Board's acceptance of the Union's offer
to provide a European Union police mission to take over from the IFOR when the
UNMIBH mandate expired at the end of the year. A seamless transition would
evince a clear and well-planned exit strategy for UNMIBH. While the country was fortunate to have
European support, it was, therefore, up to the leaders and the people of the
country to ensure fundamental progress and stability.

GERARD CORR (Ireland)
said the proposed European Union Police Mission was an important development which
his delegation greatly welcomed. The
Police Mission would contribute to the overall goals of peace implementation
and would ensure the continued development of the police forces in Bosnia and
Herzegovina through mentoring and inspection of police personnel structures
over a three-year period.

As the transition
phase approached, Ireland looked forward to the cooperation of all the relevant
authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He urged authorities there to work with High Representative Petritsch
and UNMIBH to ensure the full implementation of the Dayton/Paris Peace Accords
and the development of viable State institutions.

His delegation
also welcomed and fully supported the appointment by

Mr. Petritsch of the members of the
Electoral Commission as part of the preparations for the first general
elections to be held on 5 October 2002.
He said he also welcomed the current discussions between political
leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to come to an agreement on the “Constituent
Peoples” Decision, adding that it was important that they addressed that task
urgently.

Failure to reach
agreement on that issue would have serious consequences for the elections in
October, as well as for Bosnia’s integration into European structures, he
said. Satisfactory resolution of this
issue, as well as enhanced cooperation with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s
neighbours, could set the country on a road that led towards integration with
the European Union. Ireland supported
the recent decisions on the streamlining of the international presence in
Bosnia and Herzegovina and welcomed the strengthened effectiveness of the
international presence that would be achieved under that model.

BIJAYEDUTH
GOKOOL (Mauritius) said that the relentless efforts of the High
Representative regarding the implementation of the Dayton/Paris Accords had
brought about significant progress. He
applauded Mr. Petritsch for his efforts and wished him success. As the European Union prepared to take
Bosnia and Herzegovina within its fold, it was appropriate for the Union to
take over the police training duties from the United Nations. However, all necessary precautions should be
taken to preserve the achievements of the IPTF. He encouraged all parties to collaborate closely to ensure a
seamless transition.

The continued
involvement of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina was
crucial to help build a politically and economically sustainable State, he
said. The report before the Council had
highlighted the complexities involved in the reshaping of the international
presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He
took note of the High Representative’s streamlining plan, which would encourage
better coordination to the benefit of the country. It was imperative that efforts be stepped up to complete the
outstanding points on the roadmap to European Union membership.

ROBERTA
LAJOUS (Mexico) said her country had followed events in Bosnia and
Herzegovina for a number of years and looked forward with interest to the
holding of the general elections on 5 October.
Mexico also took note of the offer by the European Union to provide a
European Union Police Mission.

She
appealed to the principal political actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina to come up
with solutions to the Federation's problems that took into account the rights
of all its constituent peoples and respected the human rights of all.

MARTIN
BELINGA-EBOUTOU (Cameroon) said it was clear that it was a crucial
moment for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The
elections would be held on 5 October, and UNMIBH’s mandate would end on 31
December. He paid tribute to the High
Representative and Mr. Klein for their commitment, cooperation and efforts in,
among other things, police training, education, promotion of human rights,
establishing State institutions, and facilitating the country’s joining of
Europe. First, they had helped to set
up a multi-ethnic police force which respected human rights. In that context, he commended the European
Union’s decision to take over from the IPTF as of 1 January 2003.

Secondly, he continued, important efforts
had been made in the area of education.
It was important to the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina to prepare
curricula, which consolidated understanding and harmony. Thirdly, progress made on human rights
issues, described in the report, were encouraging. Regarding the fourth area, establishing State institutions under
a rule of law, he welcomed arrangements for the October elections. He would like to know more about the
pre-electoral atmosphere. Also, he
welcomed the decision to recommend Bosnia and Herzegovina’s accession to the
European Union.

ALFONSO
VALDIVIESO (Colombia) said today’s meeting marked the beginning of a new
phase in the international presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina and called on the
regional actors to become more active in preserving the success of UNMIBH.

He
said the sustainable peace and development of Bosnia and Herzegovina continued
to hinge on the work of the various international organizations there. It was, therefore, necessary to coordinate
the transition in the country. Colombia
welcomed the appointment of Lord Ashdown as the European Union’s new High
Representative.

He
emphasized the importance of continuing adherence to the Dayton Peace Accords,
and apprehending war crimes indictees Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic and
delivering them to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia at The Hague.

WANG
YINGFAN (China) said that, in recent years, UNMIBH had made progress in
police training and judicial reform, which had laid important groundwork in the
development of the country. Thanks to
the help of the international community, Bosnia and Herzegovina had made
progress in social, economic and political fields. The elimination of differences among ethnic groups and national
reconciliation were among the urgent tasks facing the country.

The international
presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina still had a long way to go, he said,
expressing hope that the international presence could collaborate in order to
speed up the reconciliation process. He
welcomed the European Union’s decision to send a police mission. China would continue to support the United
Nations presence in the country and would support the adoption of the Council
resolution.

Council
President JAN PETERSEN, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Norway, speaking
in his national capacity, said it was evident that local, entity and State
officials in Bosnia and Herzegovina must increasingly take upon themselves the
primary responsibility for progress in the reform process. At the same time, the international
community must remain engaged. He
agreed with the High Representative that more focus should be given to
strengthening institutional capacities and Bosnian “ownership” of Dayton
implementation. In the coming months,
Bosnia and Herzegovina was on course for membership in the Council of
Europe. The October elections would be
the first for which Bosnian authorities had the sole responsibility. Those were important expressions of
confidence by the international community.

Despite
significant results, extensive reforms were still needed to put Bosnia and
Herzegovina firmly on the path to European integration, he said. It rested with Bosnian leaders to
demonstrate the political will for moving forward. He welcomed the decisions of the Steering Board of the Peace
Implementation Council on 28 February, including on the streamlining of the
international presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was vital that the international community acted in a unified
manner.

He
warmly welcomed the readiness of the European Union to provide a police mission
to follow on the good work of the United Nations in that field. He strongly supported the development of a
European crisis management capability.
He was also pleased to note that the European Union would also invite
non-Union member States to participate in the lice mission.

MIRZA
KUSLJUGIC (Bosnia and Herzegovina) said the substantial progress
achieved in the peace implementation process in his country in the last year
was only the first step in building a sustainable country. The current priorities of his Government
were the development of institutions, improvement in the rule of law sector,
and implementation of economic reforms.
In light of the long-term orientation of UNMIBH towards the
self-sustainability of local institutions, he emphasized the need for further
assistance from the international community, since the progress so far was
still fragile.

He said it was
also expected that the European Union police assistance mission would be
focused on further education of police and judiciary officials, as well as on
monitoring the restructuring of institutions and reforms to the rule of
law. Regarding the latter, he welcomed
the proposed strategy for judicial reform in 2002/2003, but emphasized the need
for more decisive and firmer measures to be taken by the international
community for its implementation.

By the end of
March, it was expected that implementation of the Constitutional Court decision
should be finalized regarding the equal rights of all constituent peoples of
Bosnia and Herzegovina. That would
prove that the ideology of "exclusive ethnic territories" had been
defeated, he said. The outcome of that
process would have a decisive impact on the results of the forthcoming
elections.

The activities of
the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, especially the
trial against Slobodan Milosevic, former President of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia, substantially influenced the current political situation in his
country. "We expect the trial
against Milosevic to prove his individual responsibility for the wars in the
last decade and thus contribute to inter-ethnic reconciliation in the
region", he said. He emphasized,
however, that a viable reconciliation process was not possible with indicted
war criminals still at large and with political leaders in the region refusing
to fully cooperate with the Tribunal.

Failure to
apprehend war criminals, especially Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, six
years after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, prevented the beginning
of sincere inter-ethnic reconciliation and a sustainable peace-building
process. "We want to emphasize
that the leading role of the international community, regarding the arrests of
the already indicted war criminals, is of crucial importance and, at the same
time, a test of its credibility in the region", he said. “Its readiness to give the utmost priority
to making the arrests happen will be proof of its commitment to supporting the
work of the ICTY and to the establishment of a system of international
justice.”

He welcomed Paddy
Ashdown as the New High Representative in his country and also thanked Mr.
Petritsch for the commitment and leadership he demonstrated during his
mandate. “We expect that the mandate of
the new High Representative will be based on a clear vision, strategy and
concept of how to support the process of building a sustainable and
multi-ethnic Bosnia and Herzegovina”, he stated. Noting that UNMIBH's mandate would terminate at the end of the
year, he recommended that the Organization prepare a comprehensive evaluation
of its involvement in the Dayton Peace Agreement. That evaluation could be used as a base for the further evolution
of the peace process. It could also
serve as a guide in the update and upgrade of the Dayton-based constitutional
structure, in accordance with European Union human rights standards.

DEJAN
ŠAHOVIĆ (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) reiterated that his country
remained a staunch supporter of the Dayton/Paris Agreement. It had also respected and would continue to
respect the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and had
demonstrated its readiness to develop cooperation with that country. "The relations between our two
countries are characterized by a dynamic political dialogue exemplified by many
contacts between the highest representatives of the two States", he
said. Close contacts between the
parliaments of the two nations had been established as well, he added.

Bilateral
relations between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
were gradually being expanded into the field of economic and other forms of
cooperation, he said. Dual citizenship
issues were in the process of being regulated, as well as the delineation of
the borderline between the two countries.

He said that one
of the outstanding issues that still required sustained attention, however, was
the return of refugees. He pointed out
that, as a result of an initiative by the Government, heads of the missions of
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia had agreed on the
principles for refugee returns.

His
country had made relations with neighbouring countries one of its foreign
policy priorities and was determined to contribute to the strengthening of
regional stability. That was the best
way to speed up the process of integration into European and Euro-Atlantic
structures –- a goal shared by all in the region. Further development and improvement of his country's relations
with Bosnia and Herzegovina constituted an extremely important element of such
an approach, he said.

IVAN
SIMONOVIC (Croatia) said the admission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the
Council of Europe in May would accelerate democratic processes, the rule of law
and the protection of human right, as had been experienced in Croatia since joining
that organization in 1996. If Bosnia
and Herzegovina wanted to fully embrace European standards in the protection of
human rights, it would have to adapt its institutional structure. Further efforts were needed towards
implementing the Constitutional Court decision on equal rights of all three
constituent peoples throughout the whole territory.

He said his country wished to see the
parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina working together to bring about an evolution
of the present constitutional arrangement so that it could respond to the new
political environment and new challenges arising from it. Hopefully, the October elections would be
another step in the development of a sustainable, European-oriented Bosnia and
Herzegovina. It was also hoped that in
the near future, the Government would start negotiating with the European Union
a Stabilization and Association Agreement, such as that recently signed by
Croatia.

The
trial at The Hague of Slobodan Milosevic marked the beginning of a new era for
the Balkan region, he said. It closed a
chapter for hundreds of thousands of people in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina
and Kosovo who had lost their loved ones and continued to live with bitter
memories. The trial would also create a
better understanding of the course of events in the former Yugoslavia that
would further reconciliation among the peoples of South-East Europe.

Unfortunately,
last week’s attempts by SFOR to apprehend Radovan Karadzic, another notorious
war criminal, had not been successful, he said. He and Ratko Mladic should remain on the priority list of the
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Karadzic’s presence in Bosnia and
Herzegovina constituted a permanent threat to the country’s stability and
created a danger that must be addressed.
The lack of success –- or political will -– in arresting Karadzic also
reflected negatively on the credibility of SFOR and undermined international
efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina overall.
There could be no sustainable Bosnia and Herzegovina with Karadzic and
Mladic at large.

VALERY
KUCHINSKY (Ukraine) expressed satisfaction concerning the progress made
in economic reform and in the consolidation of State institutions. The implementation of the Bosnia and
Herzegovina Constitutional Court’s “Constituent People’s Decision” was in a
crucial phase, and comprehensive reform of the judicial system had been
instituted.

He
noted that, in the last two years, there had been more than 130,000 returns of
citizens to areas where their ethnic group was a minority. Finally, Bosnia and Herzegovina seemed ready
to hold elections in October that would be the first since the end of the war
to be organized by local authorities.

Welcoming
the results achieved in police reform, police restructuring, institution
building and inter-police cooperation, he said that by opening its offices at
the Mostar airport, the State Border Service had taken full control over all
international airports in the country that were used for commercial flights. It meant that the capabilities of the
Service grew stronger each day, brining new results in the fight against
illegal migration and cross-border crime.

He
reiterated his country’s support for the efforts of Bosnia and Herzegovina to
build a democratic and prosperous society under the rule of law and respect for
the rights of each and every citizen.
Ukraine looked forward to further steps aimed at strengthening the rule
of law and fostering processes of institution building and economic
transformation.

The protection of
the rights of national minorities, in particular the Ukrainian community,
remained a matter of concern, he said.
Ukraine counted on further assistance by the High Representative and the
European Special Representative in improving that situation.

Responding to questions posed, Mr.
PETRITSCH stressed that the continued presence of SFOR was of ultimate
importance for the upcoming elections and immediately thereafter. Also, it was ultimately up to the local authorities
to provide security and personal safety by, among other things, carrying out
the necessary reforms. One of the
continued security risks was extremism, both political and other.

When it came to
radical elements within the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), he said that it
was essentially the top leadership.
Things had changed considerably since last year, when the HDZ had tried
to split away from the constitutional framework. That crisis was now over and the HDZ had returned to the
legislative bodies. It was clear that
there was now a split within the party, and it would have to come up with new
leadership.

He
thanked all speakers for their kind words about his achievements in the past
two and a half years and urged continued support for Bosnia and Herzegovina, as
well as for his successor. The
situation was far more promising than it used to be, thanks to the efforts of
the international community and the partnerships that had been built.

Mr.
KLEIN added that, while police professionalism was improving, the police needed
better pay. When police and civil
servants were paid a human wage, it would decrease corruption. Regarding Herzegovina, much would depend on
the constitutional decisions to be made in the coming weeks. Progress in Bosnia and Herzegovina might be
slow and hesitant, but there was real progress. He congratulated Mr. Petritsch on the work that he had done.

Action
on Text

By
a vote of 15 in favour to none against with any abstentions, the Council
adopted resolution 1396 (2002).

*
*** *

For information media. Not an official record.

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Daily Noon Briefing

The Secretary-General is in Kuwait, where he will participate in the third pledging conference for Syria. Earlier today, he visited Baghdad, where he met with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, President Fuad Masum and Speaker Saleem al-Jabouri. He also spoke by phone with President Massoud Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government.